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Illinois took the lead for good with 2 1/2 minutes left in the
second quarter and led 58-51 heading to the fourth. Although
Illinois remained in front, Northwestern cut it to one on a
3-pointer by Xamiya Walton with seven minutes to go and again on
a layup by Casey Harter with 2:15 remaining.
At that point, Wallace scored in the paint for a 73-70 lead,
then Tayla Thomas hit one free throw to get Northwestern within
73-71. Both teams came up empty on their next two possessions
before Cearah Parchment made a free throw for a 74-71 lead with
nine seconds left. Northwestern's Caroline Lau missed a
potential tying 3-pointer with one second left.
Parchment had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth
double-double of her freshman season. Aaliyah Guyton had 13
points for the Illini (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten).
Grace Sullivan scored 21 points, Walton 19, Harter 13 and Lau 12
for Northwestern (8-11, 2-6). The rest of the Wildcats managed
six points — all by Thomas.
There were four ties and seven lead changes in the first half.
Illinois scored the last 12 points of the second quarter to
erase a five-point deficit and the Illini led 40-33 at halftime.
Illinois outscored the Wildcats 11-2 in a 3 1/2-minute stretch
of the third quarter, building a 58-43 lead. Three-pointers by
Harter and Walton helped Northwestern get within 58-51 heading
to the fourth.
There were only 13 turnovers in the game, five by Northwestern
and eight by Illinois.
Illinois was won seven straight in the series after losing the
previous 14.
Up next
Illinois: The Illini play Saturday at No. 24 Nebraska.
Northwestern: The Wildcats host No. 3 UCLA next Sunday.
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